The Nation Newspaper

Tag: candidate

  • I’m not a religious bigot, says Kwara PDP candidate

    The Kwara State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Senator Simeon Sule Ajibola yesterday denied being a religious apostate.

    The clarification came on the heels of his campaign posters pasted around strategic locations within Ilorin metropolis where he appeared with turban on his head.

    He said that he was not responsible for the posters, explaining that it might have been produced to discredit him.

    The senator spoke with reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital after a thanksgiving service organized by his party at Saint Barnabas Church.

    Ajibola explained that although he had a Muslim background, he would not compromise his faith as a Christian.

    The Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Kwara, Rt. Rev Olusegun Adeyemi, urged Nigerians to obtain their permanent voter’s card (PVC) to exercise their franchise in the elections.

    The cleric warned politicians not to lose their eternity because of elections.

    He called on them to inculcate perseverance while embarking on their political activities.

    However, Ajibola said he remained a faithful christian and would not been inpostor on the altar of politics.

    He said: “There can never be any deceit on the issue of faith. The issue of religion, which is faith-based is between an individual and the God Almighty. And one can chose to practice it the way he so desires. Senator Simeon Ajibola, I’m a Christian and there is no doubt about that. I may have the Muslim background.

  • APGA adopts PDP’s candidate in Enugu

    APGA adopts PDP’s candidate in Enugu

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Enugu State has adopted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as its choice for the election.

    The party said its choice was based on his performance, expressing confidence that with Ugwuanyi as the next governor, there would be a secure future for the people

  • I’ll retain 37 LCDAs in Lagos, says PDP candidate

    I’ll retain 37 LCDAs in Lagos, says PDP candidate

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in  Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, has said he will  retain the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by the Bola Tinubu administration, if elected.

    Agbaje told reporters in Lagos that he would grant greater autonomy to the LCDAs and the original 20 local government areas.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 37 LCDAs created in 2003 are yet to be listed in the Constitution and recognised by the Federal Government.

    The Federal Government still deals with Lagos State on the basis of the original 20 local government areas but Lagos State has been running the grassroots through the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

    Agbaje said if elected, his administration would move on with the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs.

    He said the LCDAs had been recognised by political parties.

    On reconciliation with Musiliu Obanikoro who went to court after losing the party’s ticket to him, Agbaje said the party had a unity of purpose.

    He said the APC administration in the state had good policies, made achievements in some areas, but recorded poor implementation of many policies due to “vested interest”.

    “Vested interest will prefer building commercial houses to constructing low cost houses,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that, if elected, his administration would construct low cost houses and offer free quality health care services through a health insurance model, in partnership with the private sector.

    “PDP will do things differently. We will have the boldness to do it,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that if elected, his administration would allocate five per cent of the state procurement project for young entrepreneurs and graduates, adding that he would ensure transparent public procurement process.

    The governorship candidate also said the administration would exploit the aquatic nature of the state to develop its economy.

    “We have not tapped the ocean’s resources. We will take advantage of our living on water and take what is there to build our economy.

    “We will ensure that Epe and Ikorodu are national fisheries processing hubs and the focal points of the new ocean economy,’’ he said.

    Agbaje said that his administration would ensure 100,000 vocational and internship places annually as well as local and international certification and standards for artisans and technicians.

    He added that his administration would ensure that companies operating in the state employed a certain percentage of their workers from their host communities.

    Agbaje said his administration would avoid multiple taxes, cancel tolls and expand the tax system.

  • APGA candidate promises to rescue Imo

    APGA candidate promises to rescue Imo

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in Imo State, Capt. Emmanuel Ihenacho, has assured that his administration will rescue the state from the “visionless government of Rochas Okorocha”.

    The former Minister of Interior, who spoke at a campaign at Ugwu Ekwema Square in Owerri, said the governor “only came to rescue members of his family and not Imo people.”

    He said the people voted for Okorocha in 2011 out of sentiments, adding: “The way the governor has personalised governance showed he came to rescue his siblings, family, in-laws and associates from poverty and not Imo people.”

    Urging the people to vote APGA in the elections, Ihenacho said it was “unfortunate that Concorde Hotel, which was the pride of the state, has died under the present government. Okorocha lacks the training and capacity to industrialise the state.”

  • APC candidate a man of peace, says Rivers monarchs’ chairman

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has been described as a man of peace by King Godwin N.K. Gininwa, Gbenemene Tai Kingdom and chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.

    King Gininwa, who is also the president of Ogoni Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers, made the declaration at his palace in Tai.

    The monarch said Peterside comes from a lineage of peace-loving people.

    He said:  “Our lives were not safe until Amaechi appeared on the scene. Today, the state is peaceful and we are all happy about it even though some people had tried to destroy this peace. I know Peterside is also from the same school of peace, so we will support you.”

    The monarch later handed a copy of the Holy Bible to Peterside, urging him to be guided as always by the scriptures in all his undertakings. He also gave the APC candidate a lantern, which is to remind him on the need to look for a way to improve on the supply of power to his kingdom.

    “One of our challenges here is power. Anybody who has gone outside Nigeria knows that the magic of the white man is electricity. So whatever plan you are making to develop Rivers State, make sure power is a priority. The people of Tai, Ogoni and Rivers need light. I, therefore, present to you this lamp.”

  • Buhari: From cradle to candidate

    Buhari: From cradle to candidate

    General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is an enigma viewed in different lights by many. To some he’s a Muslim fundamentalist, while others see a disciplined, honest and modest family man. His reputation is under attack by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which is facing the first truly competitive electoral contest since the outset of the Fourth Republic. In this piece, YUSUF ALLI and TONY AKOWE tell the story of the soldier turned politician, stripped of myths and caricatures.

    But for providence, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December, 1942) would have been unheard of. From birth, the odds were not in his favour but he withstood all hurdles to survive and shine in life.

    He was born on a Thursday – an anonymous day in the week reflecting his equally unprepossessing roots. About him Abiyamo.com reports: “Unlike many other Northerners who were born into aristocratic backgrounds and climbed up using the prestige of their families and the influence of their fathers, Buhari was born into a humble family, what we call pako in my area…His mum had given birth to a set of twins before Buhari but they both died shortly after birth. That explains one of his nicknames, ‘Leko’ which means ‘someone born after twins who died’, something like Idowu in Yoruba land.”

    He was a product of a Fulani father and a Hausa (Habe) mother, Hajiya Zulaihat (nee Musa) who was the daughter of Sarki Dogarai (head of infantry) of Daura military forces. So, Buhari inherited soldiering from his maternal side because his maternal grandfather, Kauran Daura Lawal was the head of Daura’s military forces.

    Having lost his father, Hardo Adamu Buhari, at three going on four years, there were limited opportunities for the young Buhari because he was 23rd among his father’s children, but the 13th and the last child of his mother, Zulaihat. Though his father was the Ardo of Dumukorl Village near Daura, the chiefdom added no aristocratic value to his life. The only feasible alternative was to be a cattle herdsman as a Fulani man. Not being the type who easily succumbs to fate, Buhari strove hard to excel in primary and secondary schools as well as at the military cadet institutions he attended.

    HIS EDUCATION

    Although he had contested elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011, the general’s educational attainments have become an issue this time around after he filed an affidavit stating that his credentials were with Nigerian Army authorities. The PDP has sought to make capital out of this. Rather than ask under what circumstances (war, coup , detention, military ethics etc) Buhari’s credentials had been in the custody of the Nigerian Army, political expediency has kept the issue alive – although the PDP failed to take advantage of the one week period of claims and objections to challenge Buhari’s eligibility.

    Beyond the political shenanigans, there are two issues to be determined: Did Buhari go to school? Does he have certificate? His profile suggests an affirmative answer. He attended the Central Primary School in Daura  and Kankia Primary School (where he completed  lower education in 1956) before proceeding to the Provincial Secondary School in Katsina in 1956 after which he enrolled at the Nigerian Military College (now Nigerian Defence Academy) in 1962.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its  latest publication of the list of presidential candidates for February’s polls ascribed West African School Certificate (WASC) to Buhari as his qualification. Possibly, INEC is in possession of what most people don’t have.

    Investigations, however, indicate that Buhari earned a Diploma (equivalent of a Master’s Degree) in 1980 from the United States Army War College (USAWC). Responding to enquiries from a Nigerian, Sunday Iwalaiye, on Buhari’s status as a graduate of the college, Carrol Kerr of the Public Affairs Office of USAWC said: “Nigerian Col. Muhammadu Buhari is a graduate of the US Army War College Class of 1980 and earned a US Army War College Diploma. Note: The Army War College first awarded master’s degree to the class of 2000”.

    According to a book by the Federal Ministry of Information, “Muhammadu Buhari: Nigeria’s Seventh Head of State,” Buhari went to Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina) in Katsina. Some of his classmates in secondary school were a former Chief of Staff Supreme Military Council, Maj-Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, Alhaji Fathu Abdullahi. It was at the Provincial Secondary School that Buhari started demonstrating his leadership qualities because he emerged as a Class Monitor in Form 2. The book claimed that he later became a school prefect, a house captain and head boy of his set.

    Wikipedia give insights into Buhari’s sojourn in the military as well as the long chain of elite schools he attended. It says: “Buhari joined the Nigerian Army in 1962, when he attended the Nigerian Military Training College (in February 1964, it was renamed the Nigerian Defence Academy, (NDA) in Kaduna.

    “From 1962-1963, he underwent Officer Cadets training at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot in England (Mons OCS was officially closed down in 1972).

    “In January 1963, Buhari was commissioned as Second Lieutenant, and appointed Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, Nigeria. From November 1963- January 1964, Buhari attended the Platoon Commanders’ Course at the Nigerian Military College, Kaduna. In 1964, he facilitated his military training by attending the Mechanical Transport Officer’s Course at the Army Mechanical Transport School in Borden, United Kingdom.

    “From 1965-1967, Buhari served as Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion. He was appointed Brigade Major, Second Sector, First Infantry Division, April 1967 to July 1967.

    “Buhari was made Brigade Major of the Third Infantry Brigade, July 1967 to October 1968 and Brigade Major/Commandant, Thirty-first Infantry Brigade, 1970-1971.

    “Buhari served as the Assistant Adjutant-General, First Infantry Division Headquarters, 1971-1972. He also attended the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, India, in 1973. From 1974-1975 Buhari was appointed Acting Director, Transport and Supply, Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport Headquarters.

    “He was also made Military Secretary, Army Headquarters,1978-1979, and was a member of the Supreme Military Council, 1978-1979.

    “From 1979 -1980, at the rank of Colonel, Buhari (class of 1980) attended the US Army War College (established in 1901) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States of America and gained a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies. Upon completion of the on-campus full-time resident program lasting ten months and the two-year-long, distance learning program, the United States Army War College (USAWC) college awards its graduate officers a master’s degree in Strategic Studies.

    “Other roles include: General Officer Commanding, 4th Infantry Division, Aug. 1980 – Jan. 1981; General Officer Commanding, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division, Jan. 1981 – October 1981. General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armed Division Nigerian Army, October 1981 – December 1983

    In August 1975, after General Murtala Mohammed took power, he appointed Buhari as Governor of the North-Eastern State, to oversee social, economic and political improvements in the state.

    “In March 1976, the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Buhari as the Federal Commissioner (position now called Minister) for Petroleum and Natural Resources. When the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was created in 1976, Buhari was also appointed as its Chairman, a position he held until 1978.

    HeMajor-General Buhari was selected as Head of State to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup d’etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari on 31 December 1983.

    LIFE AS A FAMILY MAN

    An addict of the Spartan life, Buhari resisted cultural pressure in the North for early marriage. He was also determined to see to the end of the 1967-1970 Civil War to keep the nation united before taking marital vows. His first wife was betrothed at 14 but he waited till she was 18 years to tie the nuptial knot. But at 29 years in 1971, he succumbed to the irresistible beauty of ex-First Lady Safinatu (née Yusuf) by going to the altar with her.

    Wikipedia reports: “They had five children together, four girls and one boy. Their first daughter, was Zulaihat (Zulai) named after Buhari’s mother. The other children are Fatima, Musa (deceased), Hadiza, and Safinatu named after her mother, Buhari’s first wife. In 1988, Buhari and his first wife Safinatu got divorced. In December 1989, he got married to his second and current wife Aisha (née Halilu). They also have five children together – one boy and four girls. They are Aisha, Halima, Yusuf, Zahra and Amina.

    On 14 January 2006, Safinatu Buhari, the former first lady of Nigeria and Buhari’s first wife, died from complications with diabetes. She was buried at Unguwar Rimi cemetery in accordance with Islamic rites. In November 2012, Buhari’s first daughter, Zulaihat (née Buhari) Junaid died from sickle cell anaemia, after having a baby two days earlier at a hospital in Kaduna.

    HIS UNIQUE QUALITIES

    Buhari has a huge cult following because he is firm, a nationalist, trustworthy, honest, hardworking, dependable and broadminded. Half of his cabinet as a military Head of State was made of Christians with portfolios assigned on merit and competence. He lives a modest life and is always decisive in dealing with any situation even if it involves his closest friend.

    Abiyamo.com quoted a former Protocol Officer and Interpreter at the State House, Dodan Barrack, Mr. Femi Segun – now deceased – as saying that  there was a time ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida was almost retired by Buhari-Idiagbon regime over an issue. In spite of the fact that he was the Chief of Army Staff under Buhari’s regime, IBB was asked to leave a meeting where his fate was to be decided. He said: “IBB was asked to step out of the meeting which was going on because they wanted to discuss him. For about three hours, IBB , as the then Chief of Army Staff was just walking up and down outside without shoes and cap thinking seriously. We didn’t know what was going on but it was clear that he was asked to step out of the meeting.  A few days later, he staged a coup.

    “However, it must be said that Buhari was not blindly punitive. When 250 politicians from all over the country were declared by investigators not have any case to answer, he ordered all of them released. These included Adamu Ciroma, the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, Audu Innocent Ogbeh, Alhaji Aliyu Maitama Yusuf, Dr. Bode Olowoporoku, Mrs. Mobolaji Osomo, Chief Michael Koleoso.”

    One of the classmates of Buhari,  Malam Mukhtari Zango, was quoted in the Federal Ministry of Information’s book  as follows: “He used to baffle me. He was so strong-willed and principled. He always stood his ground and did not follow the crowd.”

    A former Public Affairs Manager with the NLNG, Ilyasu Gadu, who was one of the co-writers of the book on Buhari, said: “Everyone we interviewed spoke glowingly about high-level of discipline, commitment to efficiency, selflessness and incorruptibility of Buhari. Yet little was known about these qualities. This was why the Publication Department of the Federal Ministry of Information through Mrs. Roseline Odeh came up with a proposal to unveil Buhari’s real person. I took the proposal to the then Chief Press Secretary to Gen. Buhari, Alhaji Wada Maida, who was also a former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria.”

    HIS CONSISTENT VISION

    Like the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and social critic, Tai Solarin who devoted their time to preach the gospel of quality education for all, Buhari has been a consistent advocate of anti-corruption war. He still does not mince words on this. When he assumed office in 1984 as a military Head of State, he said: “While corruption and indiscipline have been associated with our state of underdevelopment, these two evils in our body politic have attained unprecedented height in the past few years. The corrupt, inept and insensitive leadership in the last four years has been the source of immorality and impropriety in our society. Since what happens in any society is largely a reflection of the leadership of that society, we deplore corruption in all its facets. This government will not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of contracts and over-invoicing of imports etc. Nor will it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement, misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in foreign exchange and smuggling.”

    Despite the fact that he left power about 30 years ago, Buhari’s perception of the solutions to the nation’s problems has not changed.

  • Candidate promises to reinstate sacked Abia workers

    Despite may come the way of non-indigenous workers who were disengaged from the Abia State civil service in 2010. But that is if Chief Chikwe Udensi, the state’s governorship candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), wins the election.

    Speaking at an event where his wife Chidinma distributed gift items to indigent women and widows in Aba, Udensi said that the sufferings of non-native workers disengaged from the state by the incumbent administration would end if he became governor.

    He emphasised that he would not only recall them but also pay their arrears.

    The PPA candidate said he was disturbed by the plight of the workers and decided to make it a priority, if elected, to address the injustice when he learnt that it was only workers from the core Igbo speaking states that were affected.

    He said it was wrong for the Igbo who he stated had been unduly treated in other parts of the country to also suffer the same fate in their land, stressing that it was more disturbing that workers from neighbouring non-Igbo  states were not affected by that mass sack.

    The former National Secretary, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) said apart from recalling the sacked workers, that he would pay their outstanding salaries and other entitlements if he won the election because, according to him, they were unjustly sacked.

    He also promised to pay retirees their pensions and gratuities.

    “Workers have suffered in this state, but I will definitely put smiles on their faces if I become the governor of the state after next month’s election. We are going to ensure that their salaries and other emoluments are paid promptly. A situation where retirees will stay for years without receiving their gratuity and several months before their pension are paid will be a thing of the past under our watch,” he assured.

    Prince Emeka Okafor, PPA state chairman who also graced the event thanked the women for standing solidly behind the party all these years despite all odds, adding “what Abia needs today after years in the doldrums is prosperity” which he said PPA represented and assured that the party would rebuild Aba and others parts of the state if it comes to power by May 29.

    He urged the women in particular and Abians in general to ensure they obtained their permanent voters cards (PVCs) and use them wisely during the election in order to get the desired change.

    The wife of the PPA governorship candidate, Mrs. Udensi said she decided to fete the women at this auspicious time due to her love for the poor in society.

    The organizer of the event said that she had in the past seven years through her NGO catered for the less privileged including widows, orphans and procured drugs HIV patients free, stated that this will be a continuous event.

    Some of the women who spoke randomly to newsmen expressed happiness over the benevolence of the wife of the PPA governorship candidate, stressing that this was the first time the wife  of any governorship candidate would be remembering widows in the state to the level Chidinma did and wished her and her husband well.

  • ‘We celebrate our candidate’

    ‘We celebrate our candidate’

    Two questions came up when the campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan, stopped in Enugu. One was what was in store for the Southeast in the Jonathan second term if he won? The other was, who will Governor Sullivan Chime hand over the party’s flag to?

    The first issue was not quite addressed but Governor Chime quickly stepped in to assure his august guest that the state was behind his candidature.

    Also, Dr. Jonathan cleared the air about who the party’s governorship candidate was: Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    The rally at the Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium was turned to a carnival of some sorts.

    The crowd that gathered at the stadium had waited endlessly as the event initially billed to start at 10am could not take off until afternoon. During the long wait, gospel artistes and masters of ceremony had a swell time in their effort to fill the gap arising from the late arrival of the President. The two outstanding gospel singers who performed at the occasion, Felix Ndukwe and the Delta state-born Sammy Okposo, gave the audience a full dose of their stuff.

    The singers intermittently sang the praise of President Jonathan, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu PDP candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    President Jonathan turned up at  the stadium at 2.15pm, accompanied by his wife, Dame Patience, Deputy Vice President, Namadi Sambo, National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu,  Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, Governor Sullivan Chime and Enugu State PDP governorship candidate, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

    Observers pondered soem issues, one of them being the place of Ndigbo in the Jonathan second term, should the President’s bid succeed.

    Governor Sullivan Chime assured Jonathan that the people of the state and indeed the entire Southeast would support his re-election bid.

    “The traditional rulers have told you that you have no business campaigning in Enugu. We are here to support you. We are here to celebrate our governorship candidate, Ugwuanyi”, he told the President.

    One of the items members of the party at the rally and particularly people of Enugu State were anxiously waiting for was the official hand-over of the 2015 governorship flag of the PDP to Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The anxiety over the flag was obvious considering the struggle for the governorship seat.

    Before the rally, there were still pockets of doubts over the actual candidate of the PDP in Enugu State. Recall that one of the contenders to the Lion Building, Senator Ayogu Eze, had claimed to be the PDP candidate in Enugu after holding a parallel governorship primaries in Filbon Hotel, in the New Haven part of the state.

    But with Friday’s rally in Enugu, the struggle for the PDP flag became history as the top leadership of the party, led by Jonathan officially handed over the flag to Ugwuanyi, who is about rounding off his third term in the House of Representatives.

    At the flag-off ceremony, Muazu, who was called up to the podium after Ikeje Asogwa and Governor Chime had presented their addresses, added to the profile of Ugwuanyi. The national chairman of the party said: “this is one of the most popular candidates I have ever met in this period of electioneering in our country”. He called on other aspirants who had run against the candidate to join hands with him and the party while also urging Ugwuanyi to work with all party faithful, whether they had run against him or not.

    He paid tributes to elder statesmen in the Southeast region such as Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and others who have contributed immensely to the development of the country.

    He thanked people of the Southeast for their show of support and solidarity for the PDP which has made the party grow in leaps and bounds.

    Muazu thereafter formally handed over the party’s governorship flag to Ugwuanyi, declaring that it was a flag of victory from the PDP. Hon. Ugwuanyi enjoys overwhelming support of Enugu PDP stakeholders, and the party faithful, many of whom have constituted over 100 support groups working to actualise his ambition.

    Recall that the party stakeholders in the three senatorial districts of the state had long adopted him as consensus governorship candidate before the primary election.

    A chieftain of the party and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon USA Igwesi described the handover of party flag to Ugwuanyi as a confirmation of victory for the PDP in Enugu State.

    He said that the development showed that the PDP believes in the popular will of the people.

    Chairman of the PDP in Amachalla/Ikpuiga ward, Mr Hyacinth Urama, praised the PDP for ensuring the maintenance of internal democracy in the party.

    Speaking with reporters after receiving the flag, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi thanked the party and the people of Enugu State for the confidence reposed in him and assured that he would consolidate on the current gains and take the state to the next level of development.

    The Enugu PDP governorship flag bearer who promised a robust campaign enthused: “The presentation of the party’s flag to me by the President and our National Chairman is a call to duty, a charge to work hard with my governor and the rest of the team to deliver Enugu State to the PDP 100 per cent as has been the tradition; and that I will surely do, God being my helper”.

    Many curious supporters were quick to notice that Ayogu Eze, the Senate Committee chairman on Works, was conspicuously absent in the PDP rally. It was observed that few members of the PDP who still show solidarity to the Enugu North Senator were also not near the crowded stadium venue of the rally.

    What many took away from the rally was that Enugu is a strong PDP state but critical observers point out that the main challenge is how to convert the large turnout to actual votes.

  • Why I want to be senator, by candidate

    Why I want to be senator, by candidate

    A senatorial candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Clifford Odia, has promised to restore the lost voice of the Esan people, if voted to the Upper Legislative Chamber.

    Speaking in Lagos, he said: “I will restore the lost voice of Esanland at the Senate. The voice will be vocal and democratic and truly representative of the people. As a chartered civil engineer I will be able to reconcile the bill of engineering management and evaluation with what is critically executed on ground.”

    He promised to attract government presence to the zone and take youth empowerment as his personal responsibility. “I will not only teach them to fish I will use my position to empower Esanland by attracting donor agencies,” he added..

    Odia who is of the Esan stock, a major ethnic group in Southwestern part of the country in Edo Central Senatorial District, in Edo State, has a personal story which is a tale that explains very vividly that Odia is not making promises he cannot fulfill as some politicians would want to do but would more likely reach into his pedigree to write a script for success and bring more attention to the plight of his people.

    The statement recalled that starting out with a small construction company in 1991, Odia made a huge success of that company which now employs over 200 professional engineers. At the moment he sits atop a conglomerate which runs a quarry in Edo State, two asphalt plants –one in Edo State, the other in Rivers State while another quarry will soon be commissioned.

    Before his foray into politics, Odia had an overwhelming grassroots support. His philanthropic activities are well documented and appreciated by the people who see him as a pillar of support to the vulnerable in the society like widows. He is very supportive of the women folks and some indigent students enjoy scholarships in his name.

    He said: “Politics in Edo State in the days ahead is going to be very interesting and exciting in a state where the opposition has produced the governor running the state. Already propaganda is very high in the political menu in a state where words have become very cheap. There is indication that the opposition party will be desperate to secure the seat in order to buoy the exaggerated performance of the governor.  But the Ishan people will likely use the election as the beginning of a process to put their house in order and take their destiny in their own hands in the face of a governor that has only paid gratuitous attention to them. In terms of infrastructural development, the zone comprising five local government areas-Esan West, Esan Central, Esan North East, Esan South East and Igueben-is a distant third.”

    Esan is also the home of Chief Tony Anenih, the PDP leader. A community leader said: “The Esan people will demonstrate their true ancestry; they will demonstrate that they are decent people properly brought up by their parents; people who will not stay in exalted offices and throw invectives at their elders no matter the political provocation.

    “They will cast their vote to support their star leader, Chief Tony Anenih in order to demonstrate that they don’t consume their stars as is the practice in most parts of the country. The Esan people enhance the luminosity of their own stars.”

    Odia said that he will not betray the trust and confidence of the people, if he becomes a senator. “I am amiable, peace-loving and loved by the people; I am Christian, not only by birth but by action.”

    Many are of the opinion that Odia has absolute trust in institutions and pursues his cause with diligence. Since he joined the PDP, he has never done anything to hurt the party. Instead, he has supported the platform. Even, when he was in a vantage position to wrest the slot  from Ugbesia, he refrained. Odia honoured the internal zoning subscribed to by stakeholders. His action brought tranquility to the party.

  • Monarchs back governorship candidate

    Monarchs back governorship candidate

    Traditional rulers from Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State have said who they want to succeed Chief Theodore Orji in the Government House next year. It is former Managing Director, Diamond Bank, Dr. Alex Otti who is running on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    The traditional rulers made their position known during a meeting with the governorship candidate at the palace of His Royal Majesty, Eze Sunday Nwankwo of Umuaku, Isuochi.

    They said that what informed their decisions to support his candidature was simply because of the pedigree of Otti and their conviction that he would do better if elected the governor of the state.

    Some of the traditional rulers who spoke in turns, including the host, Eze Nwankwo lauded the former Diamond Bank MD for not only taking the financial institution to an enviable height but also using his former position to provide job opportunities for unemployed Abia graduates.

    The traditional rulers who lamented that the Abia State Government was yet to pay them their three months salary arrears pleaded with the APGA governorship candidate to treat them the way governors of their southeast; Enugu, Anambra amongst counterparts treat their traditional rulers when he emerges the governor of the state.

    In his response, Otti who thanked the traditional rulers for their warm reception promised that his administration was going to focus on urban and rural development programmes to spread dividend of democracy across the state.

    The APGA candidate who boasted of team of professionals among his campaign organisation said they were carefully chosen because of their backgrounds and antecedents, adding that he was optimistic that team was not going to disappoint the Abia electorates if voted in power.

    According to him, “We have been led in the past by people that don’t have vision. It is important for Abians to look for people that are self made and people with proven characters and records. We have carefully selected people that we know that will deliver this state. Through a careful study on Abia State by experts that we consulted, we have been able to identify some of the major problems facing the state which we shall tackle as soon as our administration comes on board”.

    The visitor who said he has so much respect for the traditional institution also assured them that his administration would take care of the traditional rulers needs even as he promised that development in all parts of the state would be simultaneously.

    In an interview, Otti described the visit as part of his campaign programmes to reach out to the people at the grassroots, feel their pulse and sell his manifestoes to the people and convincing them to vote for him and his team.

    He expressed the hope that this year’s election was going to be a lot better than the previous elections going by the promise coming from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s boss (Atahiru Jega) has made to ensure a free and fair polls.